2025 Sword
2025) AN EXCEPTIONAL AND RARE DECORATED ULFBERHT CRUSADER SWORD CIRCA 900 to 1200:
Introduction: This sword screams crusades, chivalry, and strength. This museum-quality sword is classified under the Oakeshott Typology as an X (10). The Oakeshott Type X blade is, for all intents and purposes, a continuation of the Western Viking type of blade. Type X first came into use in the late 9th and 10th centuries and was regularly used until the 12th century.
Type X swords are sometimes called Crusader swords and are closely associated with the Crusades, during which European forces advanced into the Middle East. Nothing says Knighthood more than a cruciform sword from the golden age of true chivalry. The red crucifix at the pommel is possibly associated with the Knights Templar or the Knights of St John. However, there is a slight possibility it could be a Viking sword, as the Vikings adopted Christianity. A superb example of a highly sought-after sword with a strong feudal past that can be the center of any collection.
Discussion: Type X swords have an average blade length of 31 inches and a single-handed grip. The fuller is quite wide and runs much of the sword‚ length. The tip is often rounded rather than pointed. Common pommels include A, B, and some Petersen typologies. The sword was commonly used for slashing or cutting, with a secondary use for stabbing. The Subtype Xa is similar to Type X but may have a slightly longer blade and a narrower fuller. Type Xa was used from the 11th to 14th centuries and could have a pointed or rounded tip.
Ulfberht is considered the Rolls-Royce of Viking Swords. Among Viking swords, the Ulfberht is the most sought-after by collectors. They have been found across Europe, Scandinavia, Britain, and Russia. Little is known of Ulfberht. It’s unknown if Ulfberht was an individual or a consortium. Ulfberht sword-making lasted about 300 years, its origin possibly in Frankland, in the area of modern Solingen, one of Germany’s sword capitals.
Ulfberht could have been a swordsmith who lived in the 800s. His 300-year reputation could be attributed to any of the following:
(A) Ufberht’s sword-making could have grown into a full-grown business with generations of employees and descendants as owners.
(B) Imitators copied his swords for almost 300 years.
(C) The swords were rehilted. Blades of this spectacular quality would have been passed down from chieftain to chieftain or father to son over several generations.
(D) Ulfberht may have referred to a unique smelting or steel-hardening process, somewhat like vulcanization, the process of hardening rubber, that at one time was a jealously guarded, deep, dark secret also. The secret to the Ulfberht sword lies in the metal’s hardness, which depends on its carbon content.
Ulfberht swords, like other swords during the Medieval and Renaissance periods, were copied by rival swordsmiths because there were no trademark or copyright infringement laws. As a result, claiming a sword was made by Ulfberht, even if it were not, would increase its value with few repercussions.
This sword was made by a rival bladesmith in the 10th century with the Ulfberht name to increase its value. Only a small percentage of swords with the Ulfberht name that you see in museums were actually made by Ulfberht.
Description: Constructed with a flat double-edged blade slowly tapering to a point, the wide fuller almost the entire length of the blade with the inscription, ULFBERHT, a horizontal Oakeshott Style 1 guard, and a Style A Brazil Nut pommel. The hilt was gilded, with about 50% remaining, and a red crucifix decorated the pommel.
Condition: Superb, conserved/restored to museum standards.
Approximate length: 36 inches.
Provenance: From a German and American collection.
Conclusion: This is a very elegant and very fine sword. This sword screams crusades, chivalry, and strength. Based on its condition, it appears to be a lake- or river-find. I firmly believe all Arms and Armor collections should have an early sword. Nothing says chivalry and valor or have more mystique than a medieval sword. What stories could a sword like this tell, if only it could speak? What crusades did it fight in? Who did it vanquish?
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